Telegram-herald., 1887-03-20
ABOUT PROHIBITION
How L Was Started Down N
Atlanta, Georgia
EsTasi FROM INCEPTION 70 I0llI.
Gees Terlei4rs Csmnsoes the wosS
-Locai Opliea F0lio~s-tto~ the
B0gs Get whiskf No~-An in-
fernalft nat Election.


ltz..t..s 81 r.s ft.ss1.a-stss.a.
AeLAsrA. Ga. March is-Tbs u9vsaasat
which Las secured Prohibition or this
,Fultonl and sosas oas hanired and foGr-
seen 0tbers u ths ons boacFs1 and thirty
sefea COUNTIES N Gsorgiz. tsd is insepsioa
sson 4itsf tie eisss Of TIE var IL the essso-
iisbnsnt Of Good TenplAr lodges generally
ever The Slzls The Lea met With warm
sscspllon. especially ia the smaller towns
where ths soclable fe&furs proved means
0i making people better acquainted and ~
afford NJ enjoyment and entertainment IN
their otherwise tn0not0noas lives. Once
established and known these lodges sprung
into popularity, gsatLe persuasion Was their
weapon against drink aud soon the temper.
aDcs principle which lies a. the bottom Of
og tas brotherhood hal commenced % have
Is benign effect Young men and old ab-
Atainei from drink, and % be seen or 70 be
come lnt0xi Gated WAS considered a disgrace.
After the Good TemDlars had worked on
quietly Tor Ab0ut nye years. counties here
and there cegan 10 petition the State ifgis
lalufe to grant them the privilege by
special act ~ voting upon the question OF
Prohibition. These requests were granted
and as the People here say, many OF the
counties sent dry The next step was the
passage o. special zcts % prohibit the sale
90 int0xlcauts within lhree miles OF
churches. country schools and camp meet
ing locations. one OF the chief reasons being
70 Keen the negro farm hands from ootain-
ius liquor and tnas inCapacitsting them
81 ges .or steady WORK. | aQsr these nrst
acts it Is estimated by competent men here
that the numosr OF counties which adopted
Prohibition was ninety, though no one
seems tc know the exact number.
Arrived a. this point III the deyel-
u pment the Prohibitionists commenced 10
asitste the pubic mind for legislative
act allowing Ali counties 10 vote upon the
question and petitions for General Local
option" ommenced pouring into the House
of Representatives. No attention was paid
70 them 81 first, bat after engrossed paper
enough 10 stretch up and down the balls
% the House had been sent N, and with
th0lsauts 0f signatures upon them, the
attention % the legislators wGS gained. the
matter came up Tor discussiOn-and three
years AGO q general law WAS passed allow
| IN any county upon application D. petition
| Of one-tsnth of is votes. 10 the ordinary
4
hihition IS follows: No election shall be
| held within two years after former eiec-
| tion, and then new petition must be
made lf the vote results IN favor OF pro-
hibitlon 1t shalt not De lawful for any per-
son within the limits OF said county, 70 sell
/ or barter. f0r valuable consideration, either
| directly or indirectly, or give away to IN.
! duce trade. a. any place OF business. or fur
| nish a. any other Iuo.ic places, any aico-
| hoic, spiriiu0as, matt or intoxicating
! ii4uors or intoxicating bitters, or other
| driuks which, ii drank 10 excess. will pro-
duce intoxication, under penalties herein
| after prescribed The sale or furnishing Oi
/ LIQUORS on election day is also prohibited
/ There IS nothing in the act t0 prevent the
| manufacture sale and use Of domestic
! wines or cider or the sale of wines fol-
sacramantal purposes; provided srch wine:
| or cider shall not be sold IA barroonis by
| retail nor 70 prevent licensed druggists
from selling or furnishing pure alcohol fol
! medicinal, art, scientific. and mechanics
| purposes"
These were The main features of tle law
| which was vetei upon in Fulton county IN
! November, 1885. Temperance people oven
| the state who we're not residents of coun-
| ties already pronounced dry" hsd held
back awaiting the action OF She Legislature
| on the General Local Option" question
! aud now that the act had passed they ad-
| vancsd 10 the polls in solid phalanx. This
was particularly true in the larger counties
| and in Fulton the result Was Astounding
Atlanta had been from the first. when i
vas a liitis railroad town, an orderly plsc.
aud was noted for the unanimity of its citi
zens. It bad been law-abiding even in re
gard 10 the Sunday laws. business house
and bar rooms being always closed on th'
sabbath. The town was not Paritsn. bu
l. had q wholesome relish for obedience q
the law. Al had pulled together ia public
| enterprises. and for the first time ther
came a decided split. IL vas a war between
vet and dry" Each msrshslle1 III
forces. and a hard skirmish for convert
vas made
The LIQUOR men had been multiplying
rapidly for fhs past four years. The salOoi
license was 500 and whenever anyone go
out Of iob he would 80 TO some wholesal
house, get = small outfit. locate ia base
meat or outsxirt building and open dog
| cefy.n These low grog houses, yirtuall
| retail branches under the management @
, the wn0lesA,e men, increased rapidly, an
| finally the saloon element became arogsp
and dorniueeriDg. They lriei 70 run Ia
! tom and in a. election three years az
overcauls the lsw and order element
Ernltinx in iss success the liquor le8gu
thought Itself secure The law and orde
/ faction became thoroughly aroused, 80
Their heads tOsei Der aud peiiaoned tor a
election Jn Prohibition. sam Jones cam
down here. pitched hs tent and pIeacbe
Prohibition 10 great throngs. White al
black men mingled there ind.scriminately
aud ou election day colorsd men we're fe'
! By white women. Converts swelled 70 th
| ranks of b0tn ssdes the csmpaig
became bot and hotter. each sid
resoried 20 paying OF th'
tsxss II delinquent and INDECENT people ?
as 10 render them eiegi8le for voting. and o.
election day th- excitement ras 81 fsvs
heat. The reault said prominent gent
msn here VAS a periess sgrprise 20 a
/ ariis We DID not dream that Atlant
xoald xa dry. hut she did Fulton count
rsg5 lerei nea-ly 1000 voses--a surprise 3
every one. flr no one dreamed there We
- many voters here. The people voT
orderly though Il spite Of the immense e1
element when prevailed. WhT. SIR =
we're simp.y rild' The town went dry
hv aFogl 800 nsiorit7 and the Prohibition
ists eisim thas ths negro vote TUNED q
scale
After fhe Elsrffon.
TIE isw vas 70 20 in.o eject four month
after its publication. The liquor men oo'
I 80 81